RedEye On Demand, a rapid prototyping and direct digital manufacturing service, and its parent company Stratasys, are collaborating with KOR EcoLogic to produce URBEE 2, a road-ready, fuel-efficient car built using 3D printing, or additive manufacturing, technologies. URBEE 2 is expected to hit the road in two years, says the company.

Jim Bartel (Vice president, RedEye On Demand, Stratasys):A future where 3D printers build cars may not be far off after all.

The KOR EcoLogic team will design URBEE 2 in CAD files, sending them to RedEye On Demand for building through Stratasys’ Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) process. This process applies thermoplastics in layers from the bottom up. The finished two-passenger vehicle will comprise 40 large 3D-printed parts, compared to hundreds of parts in the average car.

URBEE 2 will be designed to go 70 mph on the freeway, using a biofuel like 100 percent ethanol. The goal is for URBEE 2 to drive from San Francisco to New York City on only 10 gallons of fuel.

URBEE stands for urban electric. URBEE 2 follows on the heels of URBEE 1, produced in 2011 as a partnership between KOR EcoLogic, Stratasys and RedEye On Demand. Urbee 1 used 3D printing to produce large, strong parts meeting accurate specifications of a car body. URBEE 2 is expected to take the basic concepts of Urbee 1, and include additional features like a fully functioning heater, windshield wipers and mirrors.